


these days you get e-carded

by alerie



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-12
Updated: 2012-08-24
Packaged: 2017-11-09 19:55:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/457783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alerie/pseuds/alerie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One would think that dh102x@gmail.com would be non-descript enough to not scream "THIS IS DEREK HALE'S EMAIL ADDRESS". Apparently it is not.<br/>---<br/>Stiles gets his hands on Derek's email address. And likes to communicate through ecards. In other words: This means war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Birthday Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> After marathoning Teen Wolf over the last couple of days I promised myself that I wouldn't write fic. And now here I am.  
> Someone sent me a hilarious ecard that was screaming "Stiles would absolutely send something like this" at me and the idea was born. Oh well, what can I say.
> 
> (No Kanama in this.)

One would think that _dh102x@gmail.com_ would be non-descript enough to not scream "THIS IS DEREK HALE'S EMAIL ADDRESS". Apparently it is not, because when Derek checked if the book place in New Jersey has finally shipped that mythology book he ordered ten days ago, he didn't find the email telling him so, but one stating that "You Know Who" has sent him an ecard.

Against better judgement Derek clicked and of course. Who else would it be?

As far as Derek could remember, he hadn't given this email address to anyone in the pack. Hell, he didn't even use it much at all. So how had that little shit found out about it? And why was he sending him ecards? As much as he just wanted to ignore it, Derek at least had to know what he would tear Stiles' head off for later.

"What the hell is that kid thinking? It's not ...", Derek started to rant when he took a quick look at the date and stopped short. It was his birthday. He had forgotten his own birthday. All of a sudden he felt a pang in his chest.  
Last year Laura had tried to bake him red velvet cupcakes for his birthday, but failed so miserably that she took him out to a bar AND picked up the tab at the end of the night. Derek still remembered the awful taste of the silly cocktails she had insisted on ordering for them, but he had shut up and downed them anyways. Because Laura had laughed happily every time a new drink was placed in front of them, coconut cream or peppermint liquor or red cherry flavour.

Derek took a deep breath and rubbed over his eyes quickly, shaking the sound of her laughter from his mind. This year there would neither be cupcakes nor cocktails. Only a stupid ecard from an annoying boy.  
An annoying boy who had to be dealt with.  
  


Maybe ignoring the kid would have been the better choice, but his temper was all over the place. So Derek sent the email and stared at his screen. For eight minutes. Then came the reply.  
  


Once more it occured to Derek that getting that close to a bunch of teenagers had not been his best idea ever.

  
  


"Oh fuck!"

 


	2. Nurse Stilinski

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birthday party wasn't so bad after all. But then Derek had to catch a virus strong enough to knock him on his wolf ass. Stiles offers to play nurse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the love! 
> 
> And a bit of trivia for this fic: While Stiles' gmail account doesn't get spam, Derek's gets all the news about penis enhancements. Interesting!

All in all, it hadn't been so bad. Even Derek had to admit that. They had showed up after school as promised, with a very loud and very off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday" and cake. The party hats hadn't been a joke either, but one growl and they disappeared very quickly.  
  
He hadn't said it out loud, but Derek had a good time. A great time. Allison was definetly better at baking than Laura and as unruly as those kids could be, for one evening everyone played nice. Except for the two minutes in which Isaac and Boyd fought over the last piece of cake. But Derek didn't even have to growl at them to knock it off, because Lydia simply claimed it for herself and rendered the discussion mute.  
  
Sometimes Derek hoped that he wouldn't have to treat with other packs anytime soon because his own was a bunch of impulsive teenagers and their human friends, but on nights like that he just let himself be entertained by their shenanigans.Over the next few days he got more ecards from Stiles, which he all ignored. The renovation of the house took up most of his time anyways. But a week and a half later Derek found himself with too much time on his hands entirely, because he had somehow managed to catch a virus strong enough to knock even him flat on his ass. He was running a fever, shivering like hell and coughing all over the place. He forbid the pack from coming to see him because the other wolves were too young, their bodies still shaken up from the transition. Derek had heard stories about pups dying from strong cases of the flu and there was no way in hell he would put them at risk.

But no visitors meant no distraction and after Derek had to really give up fixing the bathroom on the ground floor when the fever got too high, he was bored as hell lying around all day. He watched all the DVDs that the kids had brought over for movie nights before he ran out of those as well. That left the internet. His inbox greeted him with junk mails and - of course - a new ecard.  
  
"Nurse? Really?", he croaked out.

  
That kid was out of his mind. No other explanation possible. If he could have gotten up, Derek would have found and decked the guy. 'A kissing couple? Really Stiles?', he thought.  
Maybe it was the fever that made him do it, but instead of closing the ecard website, Derek started to click around for a suitable retaliation.  


The second he sent it, Derek growled at himself for being so stupid. He shut his laptop and covered his eyes with his pillow, trying to get some sleep.  
  
When he woke up again he felt even more groggy and to his own surprise also a bit guilty for his message to Stiles.  
'Guess I am really dying.'

Derek fished for his laptop.

  
And with that he passed out once more.


	3. Chicken Soup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nurse Stilinski was not joking around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of fluff after all the feels from last night's episode.

Stiles didn't stay away.  
  
Not that Derek really registered Sheriff Stilinski and the kid showing up at his house and dragging him into the cruiser. But he was aware of movement and he could smell Stiles long before he woke up to find Scott's mother injecting him with something. "Antibiotics", she said quietly. "Try to get more sleep."  
  
Derek didn't know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes the next time. Stiles was sitting in an armchair across the room, staring at him. "You are here since yesterday. It's 5.30 a.m. on Saturday", he told Derek. "And just so you know, Mrs. McCall said you were nearly dying from that fever of yours. So next time you decide to act like the lone wolf again, I want you to think about what that could mean. Not only for you, of course. You would be dead and wouldn't really care anymore. But for us. I mean, for your pack! You turned them and they need you. And Scott needs you. So you can't just decide that you won't accept help."  
  
With that he let out an audible breath, leaned back into his chair and continued to stare at Derek.  
The little speech had made the wolf uncomfortable, it wanted to growl at the kid, show him that it could take perfect care of himself. But Derek made it back down, knowing that Stiles was right. Maybe he had taken it too far this time. An Alpha never wants to show weakness, but apparently that could have very well killed him this time around.  
  
Derek tried to say something, but the only thing escaping his throat was some pathetic groan. Stiles jumped up and handed him a cup of water, helping Derek to sit up enough to take a couple of sips. His knee dug into the Alpha's lower back, his left hand supported him between the shoulder blades.  
  
"Thank you", Derek finally said and moved to lie down again. The kid looked absolutely taken aback by that. It took him a moment to nod and go to the door.  
  
"I am making you chicken soup. And you will eat it. The antibiotics are working, but Scott's mom says you have to eat. Hence the chicken soup", he rambled. "Not even out of the can, I made it myself. My mom used to make it. It really helps when you are sick."  
  
If he hadn't been so tired, Derek was sure he would have smiled at Stiles for that.  
  
\---  
  
He stayed at the Stilinski's house until Tuesday night. Mrs. McCall had declared him fever-free on Monday, but the Sheriff insisted that Derek wouldn't go back to the Hale house right away.  
  
"Look kid, that place is crumbling. No wonder you got deadly sick there", he said, leaving Derek no choice but to stare at the floor, biting his tongue. 'It's my home. It's where I want to be', was the answer he gave in his head.  
  
Stiles had made a lot of chicken soup, enough to even pack some for Derek to take home when he came home from school on Tuesday before giving him a ride back.  
  
When they were parked in front of the house, Derek nodded at Stiles and moved to open the Jeep's door, only to feel the kid's hand on his shoulder. Stiles face was blank and he didn't say anything, which led Derek to almost snap at him for holding him back.  
  
"I called your pack. I am sure they are in there, eager to see Daddy", Stiles finally said. Derek knew that was not what Stiles had wanted to tell him. He gave one more nod and slipped out of the car. Before he closed the door, he could hear Stiles again. "Don't forget what I told you. You need help, you ask for it."  
  
\---  
  
Isaac jumped Derek as soon as he walked through the front door, Erica and Boyd hot on his heels. They didn't say that they had missed him, but it was more than obvious. With all their hugs and so on. When they finally let go, the trio dragged him through the house to show Derek everything they had repaired in his absence. The kitchen was almost fully functional now and Isaac took that as an opportunity to prepare dinner for the whole pack.  Stiles' chicken soup found a place in the fridge.  
  
Later, when exhaustion claimed the three teenagers, Derek let them sleep on the new carpet in the living room while he cleaned up the mess from dinner. A little unsure what he to do next, he decided to go online. The new beds for the rooms upstairs were on their way and the bill from the plumber was in his inbox, along with an ecard that Stiles had sent on Friday.

  
  
And honestly, if Derek laughed a little at that ... who could hold it against him?


	4. Santa is (un)real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To have a tree or to not have a tree? Christmas is around the corner and his pack wants to go all out. Derek doesn't. Stiles meddles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in a while. I promise betterment.
> 
> And now have christmas in August ;)

His little brush with death (as the kids insisted on calling him catching the flu) was well behind Derek. He felt stronger than ever and his work on the house was getting to a close. What he and the betas could do by themselves was done, so by the second week of December Derek finally let the professionals repair the rest.  
The living room was the first to be ready and that night, his betas demanded to sleep over. Derek could only roll his eyes at them, but let them anyways. He regretted it only half an hour later.

Erica wanted a christmas tree. "It would fit perfectly into the corner next to the fireplace", she argued exitedly. That corner was exactly were the christmas tree had always been when Derek grew up. He felt bitterness well up and barked out a final "No!".  
  
After that, his betas were sulking. Boyd treated Derek like as if he wasn't even there, Erica shot him angry glances and Isaac looked so sad that Derek was almost ready to give up. He took care of some bills when his email alert popped up.

Filled out? He hadn't filled out, he had simply gained back what weight he had lost during his brush with death. 'Great, now even I refer to it as that!', he groaned inwardly. Derek glanced up at the kids who were huddled in front of the fireplace. Boyd was reading some textbook while Isaac and Erica wrapped gifts.  
  
"I'll make you a deal", he spoke up. "You want a tree? Fine! But if we are doing this christmas thing, we are going all in. I expect presents and virgin eggnogg and gingerbread. Christmas dinner and whatnot. The whole pack will be here and you will do the work. I will simply get the tree. Okay?"

It took them all but three seconds to nod frantically. Derek let out another sigh and went to get what he needed before heading out to 'slay a tree.'  
He hauled it back to the house as if it were prey, handing it over to Boyd. Isaac was busy in the kitchen and the scent of cinnamon hung heavy in the air already.

Erica bounced over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you", she smiled. "Boyd and I spun a story about school for our parents, so we will be here. For all of it. And I called the others, they will help with the tree. And the cooking. Stiles told me to tell you that he is finally sure that Santa is real. I don't know why though."

Great, now Stiles thought that it was all his doing. That him butting in 'saved christmas' or something. Derek couldn't have that. So he picked out an ecard as well.

Scott and Allison were the first to show up, arms loaded with boxes of fairy lights. "It's gonna be epic", Scott promised. Jackson came by a little later and helped with transforming the living room into a freaking lightshow.

Stiles and Lydia were the last ones to arrive. "We had to shop", was Lydia's only remark while Stiles was uncharacteristicly quiet. He threw Derek a hurt stare and simply brushed past him. They placed the tree in the right spot and nearly overloaded it with ornaments, lights and candy canes, before Isaac brought the first round of eggnogg for kids. Derek sat down on the couch next to Stiles and took a sip. "That was a low blow, even for you", he finally heard Stiles mumble. Chuckling slightly, he gave a shrug. "That's what you get for calling me fat."

"I never called you fat you idiot. I said you were looking good, you miss that part?"

To be honest, Derek had missed that part. And he couldn't shake the strange feeling of glee when he heard Stiles say it.   
Christmas spirit. That was all.


End file.
